Converter, rotating in inclined position and capable of being tipped about a cross-axis



fimlil hi fi, A; ALEXANDER ETAL 3,310,297 C ER ROTATINGIN INCLINED POSITION AND CAPABLE OF BEING TIPPED ABOUT A CROSS-AXIS Filed Aug. 6, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l PRIOR ART PRIOR ART March 1967 A. ALEXANDER ETAL ,2

CONVERTER, ROTATING IN INCLINED POSITION AND CAPABLE OF BEING TIPPED ABOUT A CROSS'AXIS Filed Aug. 6, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .70 van Iars United States Patent corporation of Germany Filed Aug. 6, 1963, Ser. No. 300,378 Claims priority, application Germany, Sept. 6, 1962,

2 Claims. 61. 266-36) The present invention relates to a converter, rotating in inclined position and capable of being tipped about a cross-axis of the converter.

It has been proposed before to provide a converter, which rotates in inclined position and is capable of being tilted about a cross-axis for the purpose of top blowing converting, which converter is mounted on two supporting rollers or oscillating members with one bearing ring only and in which this bearing ring is guided on the parallel side or lateral faces, the latter being disposed perpendicularly to the rotating axis of the bearing ring by means of at least three pairs of rollers.

The three pairs of guiding rollers must be built in with a predetermined play, in order to take into consideration the heat expansion, as disclosed in the copending patent application, Ser. No. 235,000, now Patent No. 3,251,589. Since all three pairs of rollers are supposed to engage corresponding faces, the friction forces effective between the radial supporting rollers and the bearing ring must be considered. A test has disclosed, that the friction forces can become greater than the axial force. It is thus possible that a situation is created, in which in certain tipping positions, the bearing ring does not engage any more all three axial guide rollers and the mounting becomes, therefore, statically undetermined. In addition, the still carrying axial guide rollers can be subjected thereby to a load which is too high.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a converter rotating in inclined position and capable of being tipped about a cross-axis of the converter, which includes means for a novel mounting of the-radial supporting rollers namely, such that they are axially displaceable.

With this and other objects in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the converter;

FIG. 2 is a front end view of the converter seen in the direction of the axis of rotation;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front end view, partly in section, indicating the mounting means for one of the radial supporting means;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the radial supporting roller with its surrounding housing shown in section; and

FIG. 5 is a section along the lines 5-5 of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, a known converter 1 is disclosed, which converter 1 is surrounded by a bearing ring 2 supported by two rollers 3, which simultaneously serve the purpose of rotating the converter 1.

The supporting rollers 3 are mounted in a frame 4 which permits the tilting of the converter 1 about the pivots 5. Three pairs of guide rollers 6 engage the oppositely disposed parallel side faces 2' of the bearing ring 2, which side faces 2' are disposed perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of the bearing ring 2. The supporting rollers assume the vertical forces encountered by the converter 1 and the three pairs of guide rollers 6 assume the moment changeable by the occurring displacements of the center of gravity.

Referring now again to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 3-5, the mounting of the radial supporting rollers 3' is now disclosed. The bearing ring 2 of the converter 1 has lateral faces 2a disposed perpendicularly to its axis of rotation and is surrounded by a frame 4 in which the radial supporting rollers 3 are mounted. Butt-straps 14 are turnably suspended by means of bolts 15 in the frame 4. A housing 17 is suspended from the butt-straps 14 by means of bolts 16, the rollers 3' being mounted in bearings 18. Due to the double jointed suspension of the housing 17, which carries the bearings 18 for the radial supporting rollers 3, the latter are capable of being tilted and can perform axial movements, so that the reception of axial forces by the radial supporting rollers 3 is prevented. Preferably, three axial guide rollers are mounted on the frame 4' in a known manner, as shown in FIG. 2, which axial guide rollers engage the lateral faces 2a of the bearing ring 2', and the reception of the axial forces by means of axial guide rollers is assured.

While we have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

We claim:

1. A converter rotating in inclined position and capable of being tilted about a cross-axis for top blowing converting comprising a bearing ring having lateral faces disposed perpendicularly to its rotating axis,

a frame surrounding said bearing ring,

radially disposed supporting rollers mounted in said frame and supporting said bearing ring,

at least three pairs of rollers angularly spaced apart from each other in said frame and guiding said hearing ring along said lateral faces of said bearing ring, and

means for mounting said radially disposed supporting rollers in said frame for axial movement relative to said frame.

2. The converter, as set forth in claim 1, which includes a housing,

bearings carried 'by said housing and mounting said radially disposed supporting rollers, and

double joint means for suspending said housing on said frame.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 776,962 6/ 1957 Great Britain.

JOHN F. CAMPBELL, Primary Examiner.

WHITMORE A. WILTZ, Examiner.

M. L. FAIGUS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CONVERTER ROTATING IN INCLINED POSITION AND CAPABLE OF BEING TILTED ABOUT A CROSS-AXIS FOR TOP BLOWING CONVERTING COMPRISING A BEARING RING HAVING LATERAL FACES DISPOSED PERPENDICULARLY TO ITS ROTATING AXIS, A FRAME SURROUNDING SAID BEARING RING, RADIALLY DISPOSED SUPPORTING ROLLERS MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME AND SUPPORTING SAID BEARING RING, AT LEAST THREE PAIRS OF ROLLERS ANGULARLY SPACED APART FROM EACH OTHER IN SAID FRAME AND GUIDING SAID BEAR- 